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Local baseball stars shine at All Star game
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Jakob Skinner of Turlock Christian runs to first base during Saturday’s Modesto Sunrise Rotary All-Star Baseball game. Skinner’s Gold squad beat the Blue team 11-5. Skinner finished with two hits. - photo by EDDIE RUIZ/The Journal

The 29th annual Modesto Sunrise Rotary All-Star Baseball game from Warrior Baseball Field at CSU Stanislaus this past Saturday saw players from Pitman, Turlock and Turlock Christian put their talent on display.

In the end, the Gold squad with the Turlock and Turlock Christian players edged out the Pride’s Blue squad in an 11-5 final.

TC’s Jakob Skinner got two hits in his two at-bats.

“It’s a great honor and I was a little nervous,” said Skinner. “Cool to see how we transfer over since I don’t think it’s too much of a jump from D-VII to D-I, II or III, we are all just baseball players and it was a pretty good game.”

During the regular season Skinner had 41 RBI in 24 games played while batting .469 with 38 hits, and two home-runs. His team also reached the semifinal game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-VII playoff bracket.

“I think we all worked hard as a team, good at hitting and had a good bullpen,” said Skinner. “I am going to try and play at Merced College one or two (years), get general out of the way and see if I can transfer out.”

Pitman’s Brett Hagen started the game on the mound for the Gold squad and went two innings, allowing no earned runs.

The first run was scored in the bottom of the first by the Gold team after a passed ball occurred on a Hagen pitch. 

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Pitman’s Brett Hagen delivers a pitch during Saturday’s Modesto Sunrise Rotary All-Star game. Hagen started for the Blue squad and tossed two innings, allowing no earned runs. - photo by EDDIE RUIZ/The Journal

Adrian Magdaleno of Ceres started for Gold squad and tossed two shutout innings.

In the second inning, Skinner leveled a one out single off Hagen, but then Hagen managed to get out of the inning with minor trouble.

The top of the third saw a scoreless half before the Gold squad added two more runs in the bottom half of the third.

Justin Hines of Turlock then smacked an RBI single to make it 2-0 then another run was added before the inning ended to make it 3-0 for the Gold squad.

The Blue team added three runs in the top of the fourth to tie it 3-3, which then made things interesting.  

In the bottom of the fourth the Gold team went off and up for good.

Mason King of Turlock opened it up with a two-out RBI double that made it 4-3 after Skinner scored.

Hines of Turlock followed up immediately right after and then cleared the bases with a two-run shot to left field that made it 6-3.

“It is nice to have the opportunity to come here as a junior, me and Mason, we try to stick together so it is nice,” said Hines.

Turlock also won a share of the Central California Conference with a 9-3 record and reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-I quarterfinal round.

“I felt we played pretty well as a team, coach de la Motte and all them really helped us,” said Hines. “We have a lot of returners, we should be pretty good.  We have really high expectations and we are going to be in a new league and competition should be good and we should be up there.”

Hines and King will return for the ‘Dogs next year.

The Blue squad looked to rally in the top of the fourth, but King managed to force the third and final out to make it 6-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth where the game got out of hand.

Oakdale’s Dylan Wright ended the five-run rally with a two-run single to make it 11-4.

The Blue squad added one more run in the seventh, but the Gold squad held on.

For the Blue team, Pitman’s Nick Tullio had two at-bats while Tyler Stout also made two plate appearances. Joey Romeo (Pitman) finished with two at-bats as well.

During the year Tullio batted .350 in 19 games played and tossed 36 innings for the year, struck out 25 and had an ERA of 2.14.

“It is pretty cool to be here. I had a couple good hits and I didn’t do too much pitching but it was good to be selected and that helped as well,” said Tullio. “It’s been a lot of fun playing with all these guys, they are all very good and it’s a lot of fun to play with new people.”

Of the four Pride representatives only Tullio returns next season after Pitman won a share of the Central California Conference with Turlock and Buhach Colony.

“I hope to play elsewhere the schools I am looking at are academic schools. If I don’t play I won’t be too angry but if I can it will be great,” said Tullio.